Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1887-08-10
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
Conducted by the " U. Elk Point. Oak.
JAMES CLEMENT AMBROSE.

I knew q nice old deacon who was
afflicted with a high license pulpit;
but being loyal to the church, he
took as gospel all that from the desk.
So, when Ills pastor held up high
license, the deacon, as superintend-
ent Of the Sunday school, gravely in
quired. why not teach it to the
children? As the old trees are
bent why not incline the twigs?" SO
he took the glowing sermons and
translated them into n homespun
style the little folks could readily
understand, and did his best, as fol-
lows. to place the nursery Of the
church in harmony with one wing
of her press and pulpit:
Dear boys and girls" began the
deacon. "you know it's naughty to
drink beer and whisky; SO too, it's
naughty to sell them without a IL
cense, or with a cheap license; but
when the state orders high license,
and the town makes every saloon
keeper pay its $500 out of which he
gets for making drunkards,o of course
YOU see easy as, rolling off a log how
it isn't naughty any longer to sell
beer and whisky, but a real nice,
respectable business, like selling
sugar or hymn-books. You know,
too, that your careful papas don't
like to have a $50 saloon close by
their stores; but with a $500 one on
each side they know that all good
folks will like to buy things Of 'em.
So when bad fellows drink and
swear and fight and roll into the
gutter fore the high-li saloon. your
high-li pas know that's a blessing,
and they must thank God every
day that blessings fall so thick about
them.
you see it all clear, don't you
children3 II not, you must be patti
ent, and remember that some day
your eyes, like pas, will see things
as you want 'em to. OF course.
your fine mammas meyer visit the
wife of the $50 saloon keeper; Blu,
quick as he grows SO respectable
that he pays his town $500 a year
as its share of what he takes from
the drunkard and the d~runkard's
wife and babies, why then,sure your
fine mammas go right over and visi,
his wife, finding her just lovely, and
asking her home to tea. don't theyi
You e a change Of $3.50 in lisense
works a great change of heart and
manners in the rumseller and all
his family; at $50 he's a brute, a,
$500 a gentleman. Why don't you
darlings remember that a few years
ago sixty four Chicago preachers
prayed to the legislature for high-li.
ce,se, and got it? And don't you
know that now, in high-li Chicago.
the saloons are SO restrained that
nobody drinks to excess; that the
police courts are closed, the Jail to
rent, and the lunatic asylum kept
for prohibitionists?"
You keep on seeing it don't you
children? Maybe, though,yo don't
see why, if its awful wicked for a
$50 license to fill a mans boots with
snakes, his heart with double-fists
and send him home to pound his
wife and kick his little foIks-ifthis
is awful wicked, maybe you don't
e how it's all fair and respectable
for a $500 license to do the same
thing. But it'll come clear to you,
when you grow up, and read the
Bible that side up, as some men dc
now, Then you'll see that whats
all wrong standing alone, is all RICH,
standing on $500.
Maybe, too, pet lambs, you don,
quite e how, il it's wrong to drink
liquors at any license, it's right az
can be to sell them at any license
and SO coax men to drink them.
But when you get big. an study the
economy Of gov'ment you'll see how
the country gets 500 for every fel.
low it kills with ,drink-revenue
from the saloon; an you'll hear how
it's sweet to be killed for ones coun.
try. Revenue, you see, takes the
sin out OF temptation; so the Lords
prayer, lead us not into temptation
don't mean anything now the states
willin' to be sodom for a cent. And
when the big-license preachers gel
up q new Testament, l suppose
they'll prove temptation a virtue.
One thing more, sweet ones; don'l
forget what a help high-li is to poor
towns. Why, quite often it builds
'em q new jail--an' fills it. ISM
that real good Of it? A poor-house,
too-an' fills it. So if any of YOU
die a d%runkard, or his wife, it'll be
a great comfort to you to remember
that you've paid to support you,
own town and country almost one.
sixteenth of what they've paid to
kill you.
You must remember too, that it's
because intemperance is wrong that
high license is right. It's go much
you see, like prohibition, giving
men all the liquor they'll pay for
prohibition nota drop for love OF
money. So high-li is called a half
loaf-beter'n no bread, if tie poison
An'if some crank calls that a lie O.
the first water, tell 'em every license
is the fast friend of such water; il
never forsakes a fellow till he's dead
My young friends, you've often beer
told. too, that Of two evils choose
the least. Certainly! Cause, il
you choose neither, the devil may
get miffed and 60 way of. leavin
you dreadful lonesome.
Now, good-by; and il you want
to be constable or 60 to congress